Seventeen Moments
by psychotic7796
Summary: Drabble-like writings, mostly from Barnaby's point of view. Moments between him and his partner. T-rating for language only.


A/N- Alright, these are just some drabble-ly things I wrote between yesterday and today, so enjoy and whatnot~ Reviews are welcome, and I'll definitely add more if I get a few good responses! :D Thanks for reading! As a note, my drabbles aren't so much drabbles as they are, "I received a word, then used that word to come up with a short-ish idea, and then avoided trying to use the word as an added challenge." So yeah, enjoy~ XD

* * *

><p><strong><span>Hospital<span>**

The first glance of the room did nothing to help his anxiety. Dull, white walls encased him on all sides. He was already walking on a white floor. The door he just stepped through was white. The chairs, bed, and table in the room were all white.

Even the patient, lying in said white bed, was a pale white.

Hesitantly, he stepped further into the room, irrationally grateful for the bright orange flowers he carried. _(At least they would add a /little/ bit of color to the room. Really, this was ridiculous, couldn't the hospital afford to add /some/ decoration to their rooms? It was pitiful-) _

"Hey partner..." His mouth was dry as he placed the vase on the table. "I know last time you didn't like that I brought daisies. You thought they were too girly, didn't you? You didn't have to say anything, I could tell you wanted something less feminine. You're so insecure, it's horrible."

His question went unanswered, and he sat down in his usual seat next to the unconscious man. _(Had they given him those drugs again? I'll have to talk to them about it, he doesn't /want/ those damn drugs. They make him sleep more than he should, and they're probably messing him up more than helping anyway. If they were helping he'd be awake-) _

"These are much more masculine though, I'm sure." His eyes rolled on their own accord. "I figured 'tiger lilies' would fit your tastes much better, Wild Tiger." He snorted, hand reaching out to rearrange the lilies. He tried to make them look somewhat ordered and nice, despite them being arranged by a florist not even an hour earlier. "You're going to laugh yourself into another coma when you wake up."

His breath hitched in his throat as he pulled his knees up to his chest. _(He really should be answering. Damn it, let him answer already! I hate those drugs for doing this to him, he should be awake by now and it's all /their/ fault-) _

"You really need to wake up already. People are going to start to worry about you if you don't, partner." He leaned his chin on top of his knees, eyes roaming over the tubes and wires he could see attached to the pale skin. "Plus, you still need to tell me your name. You promised."

There was no answer, but he hadn't expected one. After a week of having no answers, it shouldn't be a surprise.

_(Damn you, Mr. Nameless. I hate you for turning me into this, I hate you, I hate you-) _

The ringing from his wrist reminded him of his job. He unfurled himself from his position on the chair and stretched, sighing as he stood up to leave. "Until next time, partner."

"Kotetsu."

Barnaby jumped, spinning around to look at the man on the bed. Trembling, pale hands had pulled off the oxygen mask, and a weak grin was thrown at him.

"My name's Kotetsu."

_(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-)_

* * *

><p><strong>Conventional<strong>

Normal heroes worked alone. It was a vigorous battle between each other, and working with another would only bring them down. They'd lose if they worked with someone else, because they would be betrayed and their reputation would be ripped apart.

_You can't trust anyone in this line of business. _

_Says who? _

Normal heroes went out and gained points. If they had time, they would try to keep injuries to a minimum. And just for kicks, they'd cause some building damage to keep the people amused. Their first priority was to please the audience and keep ratings as high as they could go.

_A few causalities are expected to happen. It gets points if you save people, but you don't have to be so careful. _

_Why not? _

Normal heroes made sure not to mix their work with their personal lives. Problems and issues with the public would occur if they were found to have anything that would constitute as a distraction in their lives. The city was trusting them with their lives, it would be too dangerous if they were distracted from their duties.

_We can't do this. We can't, we're too close as it is. _

_Can't we? _

Kotetsu and Barnaby, though, were far from normal heroes.

_Why do you care about everything so much? _

_I'm an unorthodox hero, Bunny. _

_It's... _

_Stupid? I know- _

_No. It's not stupid. It's... It's amazing._

* * *

><p><strong>Life<strong>

"Bunny," Kotetsu was giving him the kindest smile he could ever remember receiving. "Look at yourself." A hand brushed through his hair, trying to put the messy, knotted curls into place. "You're so..." He couldn't help it when his eyes fluttered shut in bliss when another hand ran across his bare back, palm massaging circles every once in awhile. "I don't know how to explain it, for sure."

"Try, Kotetsu..." He felt himself mumble, head leaning into the hand still combing his hair gently. "I'm so...?"

"You're so..." The hand gripped his hair tighter and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. A nose nuzzled the entire expanse of it, running up from the edge of his shoulder, to right underneath his jaw. He shivered, eyes glued shut. "Beautiful. Full of life. Wonderful. I don't know what else to say."

* * *

><p><strong>Anesthetic<strong>

He grinned, reaching a hand up. "Kotetsu, I feel _great_, do you know what they did? I feel so nice, there's no pain and it's great, Kotetsu."

The man gently pushed Barnaby back into a laying position, nodding to whatever he was babbling out. He couldn't understand the entirety of what Kotetsu was saying, but it sounded nice.

"Say more words," He reached up suddenly and wrapped his arms around his partner's neck, smiling lopsidedly. "Say more, come on!"

He hummed, closing his eyes in contentment as Kotetsu's voice lulled him to a half-asleep daze.

* * *

><p><strong>Relapse<strong>

"Bunny, you need to calm down-"

"No, no, he's here! Kotetsu, he's here, I can't-"

"Bunny, look at me."

"I can't, he's right there-!"

"No one is there. It's only you and me."

"Kotetsu-!"

"Calm down. You're not thinking clearly. Come on, Bunny, you can make it through this."

* * *

><p><strong>Fight<strong>

"I can't believe you!" He roared, shoving the taller man against the wall.

"Mr. Brooks, please release me."

"You let him get hurt!" He was torn between screaming in anger and laughing at the cruel hilarity of him all. "The one man that would never, _ever_ let anything happen to any of us, you all let him plummet... But especially you," His eyes narrowed as he snapped at the man he held. "You may as well have been the one holding the gun. You used him to get points, and then you didn't even try to help him-!"

"Mr. Brooks," A bright smile entered his line of vision, and in the back of his mind, he wondered if he ever noticed how dull the man's eyes were. "You would have done the same. Any of us would have."

He dug his fingers into the man's shoulders. His powers may have been finished, but he was still the stronger of the two. "I would have given up the points to save him! I wouldn't have left him there! I wouldn't have put him in that situation in the first place!" He gritted his teeth together. "You disgust me."

"Say what you will, but you would have done the same. There's nothing wrong with that, Mr. Brooks. It's just how our work is-"

The words were cut off as he slammed the speaker against the wall, hissing, "Enjoy it while you can, _King of Heroes. _Enjoy being the boss, the rolemodel, the trendsetter. Because I'm going to take it from you, and I'm going to do it without sabotaging everyone else for my own gain."

* * *

><p><strong>Emergency<strong>

Why are you panicking? It's just a scratch. There's no reason why you need to be so worried. I'm fine.

I don't need an ambulance. I especially don't need you as a crutch. Really, I'm fine. Why are you looking at me like I'm going to die?

I've had much worse injuries, I'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

So why can't I say this to you? I can feel myself smiling like I always do, so that should be enough to reassure everyone.

But now it's not just you helping me, it's Rock Bison on my other side, and Fire Emblem is tearing at my armor to get to whatever has all of you so upset. Blue Rose is pulling Dragon Kid away, covering her eyes and saying something about kids don't need to see this.

See what? I'm fine, really. Kotetsu, tell them I'm fine. I'm smiling at you again since I still can't say anything. So why are you looking hysterical? You're being an idiot, stop freaking out. It's just a little bit of blood.

And now Fire Emblem's pressing against my chest, my neck, and he's urging Rock Bison to press on other areas. Don't they understand that the only problem I have right now is that I can't speak? No wonder they're not doctors.

Kotetsu is holding my face, when did that happen? He's talking about something, shaking his head and babbling. He looks panicked again. Are those tears? Kotetsu, knock it off. I'm fine.

I smile again, but for whatever reason, the old man's shoulders start to shake and he is _sobbing_. I try to lean up, make my smile bigger, anything to make my partner stop crying.

* * *

><p><strong>Skin<strong>

The entire office stares when he walks in, covered in marks and hastily thrown on bandages.

* * *

><p><strong>Deal<strong>

They shook hands, smiling wide.

Barnaby was told the next day he was going to have a partner, thanks to his company buying out another.

He'd be lying through his teeth if he said that didn't make him a little excited.

* * *

><p><strong>Accident<strong>

"I'm so sorry Bunny, I didn't mean to- It was just... You know I'd never want this to happen!" Kotetsu was backing away from him, babbling out apologies as fast as he could.

Barnaby could feel the blood trickling down his side, and he nodded. "I know, Kotetsu. It's fine."

_(But really, it wasn't, because it was the third time that week Kotetsu hadn't been able to restrain himself, and he was starting to wonder what was going on-)_

* * *

><p><strong><span>Adore<span>**

There were fans everywhere, shouting their names.

"_Now here they are... Tiger and Barnaby!" _

It used to make him smile and chuckle. Now, it made him sick.

"_No one else should be saying your name so casually. It's special."_

* * *

><p><strong>Injection<strong>

It was supposed to be a temporary relief. _(I'm stressed out, can't I be allowed one reprieve? It's not like I'm always going to do it, I just need something to help me relax after a long day.)_

It was supposed to stay personal and private._ (No one else needs to know about this, it's none of their business. Besides, they wouldn't really care. They'd just want to know so they could tell the tabloids.)_

It was supposed to make him feel better._ (I wouldn't need to do this if Kotetsu would just- I just want him to care about me the same way, and since he's not, I need something to fill that hole. It's not that big of a deal_.)

So why was he lying there, empty syringe thrown to the side, with his partner standing over him? He could only stare, blinking sluggishly as Kotetsu screamed at him.

* * *

><p><strong>Stutter<strong>

"Well, I..." Karina glanced up at him, biting her lip. "I just... I really like him, a-and I'd be-"

Barnaby wanted to laugh, but he restrained himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Break<strong>

Barnaby remembered a time when he would look at the destroyed building and immediately yell at his partner, ranting about damage fines.

Instead, he was laughing and shaking his head fondly, throwing an arm over Kotetsu's shoulder.

* * *

><p><strong>Gratitude<strong>

"Be quiet!" Barnaby shushed everyone, flicking the lights off as he motioned for everyone to hide. "He's coming, hurry up and stay quiet!"

Nathan, Karina, and Pao-Lin all had to stifle their excited giggles as they hid behind a sofa, peeking out from the sides.

Antonio shook his head in amusement, going to hide in a corner. Keith was all grins as he ducked behind a curtain, and Ivan, being the master at hide-and-seek, was underneath a table.

Barnaby stayed behind the door, counting down in his head when his partner would come through the door.

"Oi, Bunny, what's this about-?"

"Surprise!"

Kotetsu nearly screamed, jumping a foot into the air. He was at a loss for words as he gaped at the streamers, the people, the confetti, the party gear-

"Thank you for everything you do, Kotetsu." The banner across the ceiling said.

* * *

><p><strong>Locked<strong>

"Bunny, let me out."

"No."

"Bunny, please. Let me out of here. You locked the door."

"I'm aware."

"Bunny-!"

The door was opened, and Kotetsu almost dove out. Almost.

Barnaby shoved him back in, shoved himself in too, and closed the door, glaring.

"We're not leaving until you tell me why you've been acting strangely."

"Are we both locked in here now?"

"Perhaps."

"How are we going to get out?"

"Hell if I know. Start talking."

"Bunny-"

"Now, Kotetsu."

* * *

><p><strong>Insanity<strong>

_(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-)_

It wasn't bad that he was starting to concern himself more with- _(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-) –_ that man. It wasn't bad that he wanted to spend more time with- _(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-) _his partner. It wasn't bad that he was starting to think more and more about- _(Kotetsu, Kotetsu-)_- him.

It was, however, not good to be writing- _(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-) _- his name everywhere he could.

Writing and scratching the same word over, and over, and over, on papers, on walls at his apartment, on newspapers, on napkins at restaurants, on tables, on his own skin-

_(Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu, Kotetsu-)_

It couldn't possibly be healthy.


End file.
